Saturday’s college football game at the Alamodome Stadium in San Antonio, Texas, saw a major tragedy unfold after a US airman died from a fall ahead of kickoff.
The unidentified US airman was part of a group of four servicemen participating in a rappelling demonstration before the game between the University of Texas, San Antonio (UTSA) and the Naval Academy. However, the serviceman fell 150 feet from the stadium rafters and died, the San Antonio Fire Department confirmed.
The game was slated to start at 8pm ET (7pm CT) Saturday. The five servicemen were carrying out a salute to the US armed forces on behalf of UTSA, 15 minutes before the game. The servicemen reportedly suffered a slip while coming down the rafters during and crashed 150 feet to the ground.
Initially, the San Antonio Fire Department said that the serviceman was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Later, a spokesperson for Nellis Air Force Base confirmed that the serviceman died.
So far, the airman has not been identified. The Nellis Air Force spokesperson was part of the Sixth Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, according to army-related news outlet Task and Purposes.
What We Know So Far About The Incident
The Nellis Air Force said that the incident is still under investigation, and it is unclear what led to it. More information will be released as it becomes available,” an Air Force base spokesperson told Task and Purposes.
No other details have been revealed regarding the incident on behalf of the San Antonio Police, the San Antonio Fire Department or the Nellis Air Force Base.
The University of Texas, San Antonio released a statement in the aftermath of the tragedy. However, the statement also did not provide any further details.
“We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at the start of tonight’s football game,” the UTSA statement said. “Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the soldier who was affected, his family and his military colleagues.”
“We recognize that members of our campus community may be emotionally affected by this incident and are activating wellbeing services to support our faculty, staff and students.”
The game went on despite the accident. The UTSA clinched a close 38-34 victory.